Innovation and reinvention take the top prizes at the AXA Startup Angel 2026 awards

Each year, the AXA Startup Angel competition, in partnership with The Standard, sets out to discover some of the UK’s most promising new businesses. This year was no different, and our 2026 winners combine ambition with practicality, while staying true to a clear sense of purpose — creating companies that tackle real-world challenges and build lasting commercial success.

Their prize is not just a cash injection, but momentum and guidance. Our two winners receive £25,000 each, mentoring from the AXA Startup Angels — Raphael Sofoluke, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, and Izzy Obeng, pictured above with 2026 winners David Boadu and Megan Oliver — and a year of business insurance thanks to AXA. The four runners-up get a money-can’t-buy package of media support and mentoring.

The winners were announced at the AXA Startup Angel 2026 awards night on Thursday 10 September in central London. Having just found out they’ve won, they spoke to us about how the competition will help propel their business and what they hope to achieve in the near future.

“This feels amazing. I’m literally buzzing,” says Megan Oliver, founder of SOAKED Umbrellas, one the two main prize winners at this year’s awards. “We’ve been going for 18 months and have had amazing progress, but it’s been really slow and considered. This win will give us the confidence to take a couple more risks. We can now say, let’s try it!”

Hailing from Manchester, one of the UK’s rainiest cites, SOAKED is on a mission to reduce the amount of umbrellas that break and get thrown away each year by making those that are durable and produced from recycled materials.

“Our umbrellas are designed for wind, rain, sun and everything in between. They’re also designed to get people to think: ‘How many umbrellas have I bought this year and where have they ended up?’ We want people to think about the amount of waste they’re creating,” says Oliver.

With the boost SOAKED will receive from winning the AXA Startup Angel 2026 competition, Oliver says she’d love to get people thinking about the impact umbrellas have on the planet. “If we can have a little role in that, I’d be so proud”.

“I’m actually blown away, as this is such a big accomplishment,” says David Boadu, founder of Vistella Cycling, a cycling safety brand whose aim is to make visibility effortless for everyday riders.

“This is going to boost Vistella hugely — and it’s come at a good time because I’ve been testing lots of different platforms and channels, and I think I’ve just figured out what works. It’s the perfect time to double down on that and scale [up],” says Boadu.

His reflective cyclewear is an idea stemmed from a university project: “At the time, I’d hear about so many cycling casualties in the news and that’s when we first came up with our cycling glove, which has reflective arrows on it as indicators.”

Speaking of the cash injection and mentoring he’ll receive as a winner, Boadu has grand plans for Vistella. “In a year, the dream would be to have a new line. We’ve currently got our backpacks and our reflective gloves, but we want to bring out a reflective jacket. We want to have those three products established in the cycling industry and us known as the reflective cycling safety brand.”

“This is so surreal and crazy, but what a fun night,” says Christy Llewellyn, founder of Loste, a premium, reusable false nails brand that enable consumers to achieve salon-grade nails at home.

But Loste is more than just aesthetics. “Loste is reimagining something that is often single-use and bad quality. We’ve really given false nails a new lease of life with a product that’s more sustainable. Also a lot of people can’t afford salon nails, so Loste is allowing more people to have great nails and feel more confident,” explains Llewellyn.

When asked about how being part of the competition will help her nail business, Llewellyn says that “being an AXA Startup Angel 2026 competition runner-up, I’m hoping that we can get the brand out there more”. She adds: “We’re looking to grow into retail — we’d love more products and even more of a range. Hopefully, lots of The Standard’s readers will be wearing our nails soon!”

“We just want to help people,” says James Ohene-Djan, pictured, when asked about the mission of MiCode, a digital health platform that enables easy but secure access to a person’s medical data and key contacts in the case of an emergency.

Founded alongside friend and business partner Mark Buzza, Ohene-Djan says that being a runner-up in this year’s competition will be a massive boost for MiCode. “The expertise from the mentors will be amazing. That’s one of the things we really need in getting people to know that MiCode is available and that they can get access to it if they need. [Being a runner-up] will really help us to get that message out.”

Being a part of the competition has given the partners even more drive. Buzza explains: “This is going to give us impetus to continue getting MiCode out there, and keep helping people.”

Ohene-Djan adds: “Being an AXA Startup Angel 2026 runner-up feels exciting. I’m so proud and it feels like there’s a future for the business.”

“Getting the help to put Reporti in front of people is going to be a game-changer,” says Gracie Broom, who believes her crowd safety app is the future of keeping people safe at public events.

Her real-time crowd safety app enables attendees to discreetly report safety incidents. Broom says: “I would love for Reporti to be rolled out across more spaces, to be at some of the big festivals next year, at some of the UK’s biggest stadia, and for public reporting in general to be more widely recognised as a thing you can do at an event.”

As to how her runner-up prize of media support and mentoring will help Reporti, Broom explains: “We’ve got to a point where we’ve got the product; we’ve pilot tested it; we’ve got the first few customers. But extra advice about marketing and PR will really build on that momentum.”

“I am so, so pleased that I’m going to be mentored, and have access to amazing people and communities. It’s going to be the greatest lesson ever,” says Eniola Taiwo, founder of Skill Bloom.

With her app that enables neurodivergent children to practice real-life social situations through interactive scenarios, Taiwo hopes that young people with social communication challenges will no longer feel isolated. “No child deserves to suffer alone, so I want the app to be in every home that needs it.”

With the recognition for this year’s competition, Taiwo is feeling positive about the future of Skill Bloom: “This is going to bring visibility. The idea is still at the startup stage, where I’ve been working on it just by myself, but to have access to expert mentors will truly boost it.”

Taiwo is feeling confident in her app and can see how valuable it could be: “In a year’s time, I’d like the app to be out there for all children.”

With AXA Business Insurance you can tailor a policy with a range of covers*. Protect your startup with confidence today. Learn more at AXA

*T&Cs apply. AXA Insurance UK plc is registered in England and Wales registered number 078950 and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under Financial Services Register number 202312. This can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting the Financial Conduct Authority’s website at www.fca.org.uk. Registered address is 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG